The godfather of basketball started from conquering the NBA

Chapter 107: Super DeRozan

"It's okay. This is my mistake. I will pay attention to the next ball."

Westbrook took the initiative to stop the blame after his first mistake and signaled DeRozan not to take it to heart.

On the next ball, Westbrook dribbled steadily across half court, still using the same starting pattern.

"I don't know if these young people are stubborn or if they don't take me seriously, but if that's the case, then just go ahead and cry."

Popovich's smile grew more sinister.

Westbrook and Oden set a pick-and-roll, and everyone moved forward, completely giving up the top arc position to DeRozan.

When assisting in defense, Iguodala followed Popovich's request and always stood in the passing route between Westbrook and DeRozan.

"Defend, Andre, just stay at the free throw line. Just don't let him cut. Don't worry about his shooting."

The assistant coach's shout from the sidelines disrupted Iguodala's thinking, and he got on guard by mistake.

His move up was so good that he opened up Westbrook's passing route. Although Iguodala only took a small step in, it was this small step that allowed Westbrook to see DeRozan's position. .

Originally, Westbrook couldn't give the ball directly to DeRozan, and Josh in the corner needed to pass it.

But Iguodala gave up a little position, and at this position, Westbrook directly threw the ball high, and the basketball came to DeRozan's hands smoothly.

"Pay attention to his mid-range and leave it to me inside."

Duncan directed the defense of his teammates, and Iguodala hurriedly pounced outwards, adjusting his steps during the pounce.

Because from his perspective, DeRozan will not shoot a three-pointer, so he cannot jump out too fast to avoid being passed by DeRozan in one step.

It just needs to block the free throw line because Duncan is covering for him inside.

But DeRozan didn't care so much. The three-point moment he had been calling for in his heart was finally coming.

"This goal must not disappoint the coach."

I saw DeRozan raising his hand.He shot a three-pointer directly, and with a smooth movement, he threw the ball in front of the shocked eyes of the Spurs.

"He did it on purpose, he was pretending, he couldn't shoot a three-pointer at all with his strength." Popovich kept comforting himself in his heart after he made the shot.

Not only him, the first reaction of the other nine players on the field was to "rush for rebounds."

No one would think that DeRozan has three-point ability. DeRozan has made a total of 280 three-pointers in four years of his career.Only 61 hits were made, and the hit rate was less than 25%.

At this time, the basket was already crowded.

It wasn't until the basketball landed gracefully in the basket that everyone realized the shot had been made.

"Nice!" Westbrook came over excitedly and high-fived DeRozan, who couldn't hide his happiness.

"I'm confused. This ball is definitely confusing. Don't worry about it."

Popovich was as calm as water on the surface, but he was already panicking inside. Everything just happened in a flash of lightning.

The fans didn't feel anything, but as a professional head coach, the situation on the field was not optimistic for them.

The Timberwolves' offense was originally strong, but now they have finally found a weak link and are preparing to kill it. After all, in a high-end game like the Western Conference Finals, whoever has a weak point will definitely be targeted by the opponent.

Popovich also prepared well before the game, knowing that what DeRozan is worst at is three-point shooting from the outside, but this three-pointer seemed to indicate that his defensive tactics were failing.

Seeing that Popovich had no intention of changing tactics, the players continued to defend according to the established tactics.

But after DeRozan made his second three-pointer, Popovich couldn't sit still. He started to get up and complain that Josh had committed a foul when he didn't have the ball.

When DeRozan hit his third three-pointer, Popovich couldn't sit still.

He stood up and called a timeout, and then yelled at Iguodala with a classic f??k style output, which stunned Iguodala.

"Didn't I always do what you asked me to do?"

At this time, Popovich was still accusing Iguodala of not hitting the ball just now, leaving DeRozan with such a big open space.

Originally, Iguodala was a little self-blaming. Even though DeRozan had already hit two three-pointers, his defensive position was still so far back. There was indeed a problem. He did not assess the situation.

But after hearing Popovich's rant, Iguodala was also a little angry.

This defensive tactic was arranged by you. In order to wipe the butt of your beloved disciple Parker and avoid being eaten alive by Westbrook, you have always asked Iguodala to help defend.

I asked you just now, you pretended to be serious and believed in your outdated old tactics, and now you come here to complain that I missed someone, am I a superman?Can I fly?

Iguodala is not the Spurs like Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili who grew up under the Spurs system. After being criticized by Popovich, his mentality changed a lot.

Originally, Iguodala, as a player with high golf IQ, was aware of it and would also read the game and change his defensive strategy during the game. But after Popovich made such a fuss, he now doesn’t think about anything else and just wants nothing. Come on, don’t ask for merit.

But in the next round, DeRozan, who had already shot confidently, hit a pull-up three-pointer directly in front of Iguodala.

Next time, Iguodala got in his face, but he went up too fast and his center of gravity was unstable. He was passed by DeRozan in one step, went straight to the inside, and took off directly. He rounded his arms and made a chop.

This ball completely defeated Iguodala's defense, so much so that on the offensive end, Iguodala showed a rare advantage and was called an offensive foul by DeRozan.

Popovich couldn't stand it anymore and took it directly to Iguodala.

But that doesn't solve the Spurs' problems.

For the Spurs, the score of 9-19 is not scary. What is really scary is that DeRozan has already hit 4 three-pointers. DeRozan's ability to hit three-pointers is a strategic blow to the Spurs.

Popovich couldn't understand why a player who had taken less than 300 shots in four years and had a field goal percentage of less than 25 was so accurate today. Even if he was eating dumplings, he must have eaten too many dumplings.

What's even more frightening is that the Timberwolves are currently using one tactic and the same starting tactics, but the Spurs have no response strategy at all. This is rare for a team like the Spurs.

The last resort is to let people post DeRozan.

But in this way, Parker was completely exposed in front of Westbrook. At the same time, DeRozan was full of confidence today. Ginobili blocked the ball in his face, but he still made a three-pointer.

In the whole game, DeRozan made 9 of 7 three-pointers, resulting in 29 points and 3 steals. Westbrook also frequently named Parker after missing help on defense.

He pushed hard with his body in various ways and was knocked around by Parker. He also scored 22 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Timberwolves successfully won the game at the Spurs' home court.

In the fourth game, Popovich still adopted the previous tactics. He was betting that DeRozan's last game was just an accidental outburst, just eating dumplings during the New Year. This performance will not last.

Unfortunately, betting on dogs never ends well.

Made 11 of 8 three-pointers and scored 33 points.

DeRozan once again blasted the Spurs back line, and the Timberwolves also won 112-99, and the total score came to 3-1 in the next game.